Accra (Greater Accra Region) 7 Oct. 1998 Trading on the Ghana Stock Exchange today came back to life after several dull sessions following a huge purchase of Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) shares by an institutional investor.

This saw total shares traded soaring to 20,260,160, up from Monday's close of 8,920.

However, significant losses in the share price of two major equities - Mobil Oil Ghana Limited (MOGL) and Ghana Brewery Limited (GBL) - resulted in the GSE All-Share Index going up by only 0.31 points to 853.70 points. This means the GSE has gone up by 66.80 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Total offers stood at 24.7 million while demand was 20,299,010. GCB sold 20,023,300 shares but this huge purchase did not affect its share price which remained at 1,155 cedis.

Market capitalisation edged up to 3,108.75 billion cedis against 3,055.48 billion registered at the last session.

On the broader market, four equities saw price changes. Two equities appreciated while two declined.

The market's top chip, Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC), appreciated again by 500 cedis to close 17,000 cedis. However, this is 1,000 cedis less than its offer price four years ago.

The other gainer was Metalloplastica Ghana Limited (MGL) which made 10 cedis to end at 130 cedis.

On the losing end, Ghana Brewery Limited (GBL) after going steady since its appearance on the market on July 17, dropped by 30 cedis to finish trading at 2,350 cedis.

Mobil Oil Ghana Limited (MOGL), the second most capitalised equity, went down by 200 cedis to finish at 14,800 cedis. GRi